Sleep Disorders: Fact or Fiction?

How much do you know about sleep disorders? Review these statements and learn
which are true and which are not.

Health problems such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and depression have
no relation to the amount and quality of a person's sleep.

Fiction: More and more
scientific studies are showing correlations between poor quality sleep
and/or insufficient sleep with a variety of diseases,
including hypertension, diabetes and depression. For example, insufficient sleep
can impair the body's ability to use insulin, which can lead to the onset of
diabetes. In addition, insufficient sleep affects growth hormone secretion that
is linked to obesity. As the amount of hormone secretion decreases the chance of
weight gain increases.

The older you get, the fewer hours of sleep you need.

Fiction: Sleep experts recommend a total sleep time of seven to nine hours of
sleep for the average adult. Sleep patterns change as people age, but the amount
of sleep they generally need does not. Older people may wake more frequently
through the night and may actually get less nighttime sleep, but their need for
sleep is no less than that of younger adults.